


Growing Pains

by cauldronofdoom



Series: mob-verse [4]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Angry Sex, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Rough Sex, all the happy is being saved for later, backgound erik/charles, but those two don't get anything happy here, cameos abound, if this were a movie someone (Tony) would make a drinking game out of it, it turns nice though, really - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-04
Updated: 2012-07-04
Packaged: 2017-11-09 04:56:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/451531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cauldronofdoom/pseuds/cauldronofdoom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He still wasn’t used to this lifestyle, where throwing a surprise party might result in someone dying.</p>
<p>He was, on the other hand, very well aquainted with what happens when you say something, then can't deliver.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Growing Pains

“Oh, hey! You’re back up here in the land of the living!” Clint grinned at Tony as the dark-haired man hauled himself back into his chair. He looked a little tired, but mostly happy, so Clint figured the ‘interrogation’ had gone well. The Captain might have told Tash what had been said, but that was it. It appeared that any further information on their newest member’s issues was need-to-know.

Clint could get behind that policy, as much as it annoyed him not being in the know. There were things in his past that he was glad no one but those two and Coulson knew. 

“So, did you guys actually talk, or is ‘talk’ code for wild monkey sex?” He asked instead, waggling his eyebrows.

Tony raised an eyebrow at him imperiously. “I’ll have you know we are men of many and varied talents. We did both.”

Clint snorted into his coffee. “Alright then. Makes me glad I wasn’t actually trying to sleep this time.” Tony shot him an inquisitive look, and he shrugged. “Soundproofing would be a safety hazard, in case a lay was a plant from an enemy.”

Tony needed to work on his poker face if he was going to keep anything from people here, but Clint was sure it usually worked in the ‘real world’. “Was?” His voice, at least, betrayed only idle curiosity. That was impressive. Still, he supposed it was to be expected from someone exposed to the media from a young age.

Clint shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “If you’re an agent, they’ve been training you since before they could have fucked you, and even then used incredibly roundabout methods that would have been more likely to get you killed than to get you accepted into our cold, calculating bosoms.”

Tony just laughed. “Clint, you don’t have enough up top to welcome anything into your bosom.” Clint held a hand over his heart in the universal ‘you have wounded me’ gesture, but he laughed along with Tony. He genuinely liked the guy, but this conversation went beyond that. He needed Tony to believe that Clint didn’t consider him a threat. Thor wasn’t subtle, and someone needed to be the guy’s ‘in’ friend if he was running a scam. 

No one was going to get that close to reeling in their Captain, not while anyone in the mob could prevent it. Not again.

“Seriously, though, you guys should consider investing in a special hat or something that you can hang on the door to the sub-basement. The rest of us are getting sick of overhearing all of your activities. We sleep in dorms, and those are just not conducive to getting tail. ‘Here, babe, just ignore the losers in the other bunks who aren’t getting any, they’re just jealous.’ Comments like that would just get you shot by any of the women around here.” Tony gave him a smirk, and Clint wanted to take him right down to the gym because it was just that smug.

“You know,” He drawled, leaning back, “I sleep in a dorm too. Your dorm, to be precise.” He raised one eyebrow as Clint snorted.

“You either pass out on the Captain’s bed or on your keyboard. I’d almost think you’d never used your bunk if the stupid thing didn’t look like a disaster zone.” He informed the geek haughtily, and Tony elbowed him for his comment.

“Barton’s right, you should get more sleep. And eat on a regular schedule too, but we tend not to believe in miracles in this line of work.” The Captain said as he passed through the room, not looking up from his report but still managing to ruffle Tony’s hair on the way through. “Barton, get him fed, will you?” Then he was gone, and Clint was left staring at his boss and friend in silent awe.

Even with Peggy, it hadn’t been like that! It had been very old-fashioned courting, dates, and obvious attention, none of this casual touch and teasing rejoinders. Affection seemed to be seeping into their everyday interactions, and that was bad on more than one level.

If Tony ever tried to leave, or even wanted to, if could very well incapacitate their leader if things continued being serious between them. Or, if Tony expressed distaste for certain aspects of the lifestyle, he might eventually have enough of an emotional hold on the Captain to get him to change things. That would also be a disaster. Or Tony could be just a casual, hedonistic pleasure seeker and hurt the other man just by not feeling the same.

This had so much potential to go so wrong.  
*  
“There is so much potential for this to go wrong.” He told Tash as they eyed their two resident scientists warily. She didn’t say anything, but Clint knew she was listening. “Does the Captain have any idea how wrong this could go?”

She shook her head, sending red curls bouncing, and answered in a low voice. “Both of them seem to think it’s just sex.”

Clint furrowed his brow. “Neither of them are actually that stupid, are they?”

“Willfully blind, more like.” Maria Hill answered for him as she handed Natasha a report. “The new guy’s trying not to overstep any boundaries, and the Captain has determined that he’s not going to put us in danger like last year.”

“Stupid.” Clint replied idly, watching Natasha flip through the report. She nodded, either to him or to the report, and looked up.

“Hill, Barton, you’re with me. Recon only, do not engage unless cover is seriously blown. Let’s go see what these foolish upstarts are doing.”

Maria and Clint both looked down at his injured wrist in unison, but Natasha didn’t explain. He grinned, while his comrade sighed exasperatedly. “Let’s do this, then.”  
*  
Tony knew he was being watched. Even if he’d never seen another person, simply the fact that he’s the newest member of the mob would have made that obvious. Still Clint and Romanov (she got scary the one time he tried to call her Nat) didn’t have to just stand there talking about him!

Besides, it didn’t matter if they were watching him. If he’d wanted to bring them down, it would have taken only moments after getting internet access to leave all sorts of goodies for the police to find. Bruce (he’d taken that liberty the first night, long before even learning anyone else’s name) and Romanov were good, but he was sure he could sneak something by them if he really needed to. 

Tony really didn’t think it would ever come to that, though. He was quickly turning into a teenaged girl over the Captain, was able to discuss science to his hearts content with Bruce, snarked with Clint, and… “Anthony! It is good to see you again, my friend. Please, do me the honour of joining me for our midday meal, where we shall share tales of our recent feats!” And who could resist the giant, vicious teddy bear that was a viking cuddle-monster? Currently he found himself totally caught up Thor’s arms and actually lifted out of his chair by the taller man.

Seriously, he was going to get a complex from all the ridiculously physically perfect people around him.

“Sure, buddy.” He replied, patting one burly bicep awkwardly. “Just let me save this and log out, kay?”

“As you say, Anthony. I shall be in the kitchen, heating the pizza in the little oven.” Tony sighed. The guy never did quite get it right.

“Microwave, Thor. Microwave.” 

“I do not understand. Does not ‘micro’ mean little? And the box said oven, I recall.” It really wasn’t the guy’s fault that he was from a different country and his syntax was all over the place, but it was hilarious to listen to.

“It does, but… That’s not… Never mind, you just go reheat the pizza and then we’ll talk about what trouble we’ve been getting into.

Thor’s forehead creased in concern. “Have you offended our great Captain somehow? I have heard naught but good of your abilities from our comrades. What is this trouble you are in?”

“I’m not in any trouble, Thor. It’s just an expression. Just… just go get the pizza started, and I’ll join you in a moment.” Thor nodded and headed off, muttering to himself all the while about ‘foolish people, using words with perfectly good meanings to say something else that there already is a word for’ or some such. Tony’s been treated to the rant several times already, and he doesn’t pay any more attention to it this time than he had before.

He was just saving his files when a familiar weight fell on his shoulder. He grinned up at Cap, who smiled indulgently back. “What are you working on?”

Despite knowing Thor’s waiting for him, Tony can’t resist the urge to show off. Of all the people in this house, the only one whose opinion he actually really cared about was standing right behind him, and now he could prove he wasn’t going to be useless because of all the embarrassing stuff he’d been talked into spilling earlier. “It’ll blow your mind, Cap. Look here, this is the new psudo-network I’m building for you. It’s got enough camera uplinks to make it look like it’s actually our system, plus it’s got some electronic files that are enough to make it look like it should be our whole network without actually giving anything away and some fake firewalls that all the good stuff would, logically, be hidden.”

Cap’s eyebrows were raised, but he still looked more confused than impressed. “Okay. Why do we need that? I thought the point of the external hard drive was to handle all the important stuff.”

“It is, but if it doesn’t look like we have any of that stuff, people will get suspicious. The whole network’s actually a giant virus, and it’s one of the ones that e-mails itself around, as well as leaving a veritable trail of destruction once it’s activated. That means it should be fairly easy to track connections using it.”

The blonde looked impressed now, and Tony tried hard to keep from grinning at that. “Okay, I can see that, but why even put it up? They’re going to expect some pretty amazing firewalls, it’s not like we can just invite them onto the server.”

“Because we will get hacked eventually. No, wait, hear me out, Cap. I can write some pretty amazing stuff, but there will be some people that manage to get in simply because I can’t think of everything. I don’t think like most people, that’s part of what makes me a good engineer. I can prepare for the usual things and prevent any hole I can find in the system from being exploitable, but I can’t think of everything. So some young hotshot with something to prove or some technological genius will eventually get on. That’s why we need the external storage. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. And the best security for that is to make them think we haven’t thought of that.”

Steve gave him a look. “And when did this occur to you?”

Tony grinned, remembering all too clearly. “At thirteen I hacked the DOD and told them why their security sucked. They sent back a thank you e-mail that also said that if I did so again, I’d be in jail regardless of age or whether I actually did anything.” He admitted, and Cap laughed.

“Anthony! Have you finished with your files yet, my friend… Oh! Good evening, Captain. Would you be interested in joining Anthony and myself for pizza and tales of valour?”

Cap shook his head, still smiling. “I’m good, I just ate a little while ago. You guys enjoy, I have a few things I need to get done.” He gave Tony’s shoulder a quick squeeze, and Tony actually had to bite his cheek to keep from saying something embarrassing like asking Cap to stay. 

Thor watched their interaction quietly before coming over and hauling Tony into the kitchen with him. “It is good that you and the good Captain have each other. There is very little that is not improved by the presence of a… hmm… paramour? Is that the word? A love.”

Tony choked on air at shot an incredulous look at the man next to him. He knew Thor wasn’t actually as foolish as he enjoyed acting, but he couldn’t have picked a worse time to be reminded of that. “No, we’re not… We’re not really together, Thor. It’s not like that.”

Thor looked confused as he handed Tony a plate of warm pizza and some juice. “You mate, you laugh, and you plan together, yes? You are partners by any definition I know of. Have I misunderstood courting rituals in this part of the world?”

Tony groaned and buried his face in his arms. “That’s not quite how it works, Thor. The sex is just sex, and other than that we have a professional relationship. That’s all. We’re not in an actual relationship.”

Thor’s face said he didn’t agree, but he dropped it. Tony was glad. His face was turning red anyway, and he was glad to turn the subject to less touchy matters.  
*  
“So, you’ve been holed up here quite a bit. Want to explain what’s going on?” Bruce asked, leaning casually against the doorframe of their room. Tony looked up at him almost guiltily, before pulling a project out from under his bed. “It was supposed to be a surprise.” He muttered, handing his prototype over to the scientist.

Bruce eyed it warily before turning it over in his hands and whistling. “Impressive. You do know, though, that aluminum isn’t going to cut it for actually making anything effective, right?”

Tony snatched it back, scowling good naturedly. “I know that, this was just to test the plating and spacing before actually bringing it up with everyone else.”

Bruce raised his hands in a conciliatory manner, looking slightly amused. “Fine, fine. Just saying. Hey, why are you making Clint a new archery glove without telling him, anyway? Shouldn’t he have some say in it?”

“There’s nothing computer-related for me to do right now. Everyone’s doing more hands-on surveillance and such. I got bored. And I don’t want my first design project in three years to end in a glorious, spectacular failure that everyone knows about. He can have a say after I make the plating protect the wrist, like it’s supposed to. If he asks really nice, I might even paint it his favourite colour.”

“Bright purple? That’ll be interesting to see. How do you know it won’t mess up his archery?”

Tony motioned him over and Bruce went and sat beside him easily. “It has to do with the way the plating lines up. That’s the secret. See, this here will delocalize any pressure…”  
*  
“So what’s he been up to this last week?” The Captain asked, his arms crossed and a formidable expression on his face. Bruce wasn’t quailed, but it did tell him that his leader was in a foul mood and to tread carefully.

“He’s building Barton a new archery glove. The idea is that it’ll help prevent him from injuring his wrist like he did in that raid last week. He doesn’t want anyone to know because he doesn’t, and I quote, ‘want my first design project in three years to end in a glorious, spectacular failure that everyone knows about’. He’s working out the mechanics of it with pop can aluminum. He’s got some good ideas, so I guess we’ll see what he can make of them.” The Captain was still angry, but Bruce knew it wasn’t at him, even if all he got for his information was a distracted nod.

He was just glad he wasn’t Tony.  
*  
It had been days since Cap had drug Tony off, and Tony was sulking. It wasn’t even just a we’re-busy-shit-happens way like that one time, Cap was purposely avoiding spending any time with him. Considering his massive and embarrassing crush on the blonde, he figured he was entitled to a little bit of a pity party. Not that he let anyone else know. He threw himself into his work instead, designing an improved radio system that would mean not relying on cell phones during ops.

It was fine that Cap didn’t want him any more. It was. It had always just been sex, really, and even though he’d expected their liaisons to last more than twenty-ish odd days, it was fine. He’d known it was coming, and maybe sooner was for the better. Hell, Cap was a good looking man, maybe it was just his way of breaking in new recruits. A proactive approach to favouritism: everyone got two weeks of good sex, and then life moved on. That was just how it was in this life, he figured.

That didn’t mean he couldn’t indulge himself in some moping. Just a little bit.

Even his moping took a back seat when a larger group of his new people came through the door, all looking grim and dirtied. Romanov was bleeding on the floor, the actual wound disguised by her dark clothing. Thor was scowling, a bruise forming all over the left side of his face. Carol looked mostly uninjured, but her jumpsuit was ripped and there was mud on her face. There were others, too. The ones that changed every few days and stayed upstairs. He recognized the dark woman with the precociously young silver hair, the perky little brunette who always seemed to enjoy skulking far too much, and the guy everyone joked was actually an android. There were others, but he barely noticed them as he looked at the Captain.

He looked every bit a fighter in that moment, his nice suit sacrificed for bandages, blood and dirt smeared over his shirt and face, the dangerous light of battle in his eyes, and his gun in his hand. He was both majestic and so very, very deadly.

Tony was out of his seat in a moment, calling for Bruce and pulling off his own shirt to toss to Romanov. He didn’t look to see if she made use of it, just went straight for the Captain like a lodestone. “Cap! Are you alright? What happened? Here, let me…” He was shocked into silence when the blonde grabbed his arm hard enough to bruise and pulled him close.

Banner showed up at that moment, the still-healing Clint in his wake. They didn’t even pause in the doorway, just came right in and started giving first aid to their comrades. The Captain glanced over at his people, saw that they had the situation in hand, and dismissed them with a nod. Then he stormed off, Tony still held tightly in his off hand.

Tony stumbled slightly as the Captain dragged him down the stairs and into his room, kicking the door closed and tossing Tony onto the bed. Tony squirmed around onto his back, then looked over at the taller man.

Cap was busy pulling his own clothes off, and Tony paid close attention to the skin revealed, hoping none of the blood on the shirt came from the taller man. When he was finally naked and came to kneel on the bed, Tony reached out to touch, wanting to prove to himself that the skin was unbroken. Cap was having none of that, though, pushing Tony down and kissing him harshly. He gathered both of Tony’s wrists up in one of his massive hands and rested the other right over his left collarbone. Both hands gripped tight enough that they’d probably leave bruises. 

“Cap!” Tony gasped as the other man switched his attack to Tony’s neck. “Ah! AH! Cap…” He moaned, relishing in having his full attention. 

Cap let go of his hands to attack his pants instead, and Tony squirmed out of them as the blonde tugged. He put his hands up to thread carefully through silky strands and kissed the left side of his face, not caring about getting the blood and dirt on him as well. “Tell me this isn’t yours?” He begged, not sure enough to not be terrified for the other man.

Cap just snorted and bit at his collarbone hard enough to leave imprints. “S’not.” He growled, continuing to bite at Tony. “Could’ve easily been, but s’not. ‘M harder to take out than that. But damned secrets…”

“Secrets?” Tony asked, a little unnerved by the restrained fury in Cap’s hands. Even that first night, the roughest sex they’d had so far, hadn’t been like this.

”Secrets!” The larger man hissed before flipping Tony right over onto his stomach. “Goddamn secrets got Tash shot, got Pietro’s fucking arm broken, just about got all of us killed, if not captured! Fucking secrets!”

And oh, Tony knew what was going on now. Not all of it, he didn’t know who had attacked his friends or why, but he got the anger, got the avoidance. They’d talked about this not even a fortnight ago. But Tony had forgotten, had wanted to surprise his new friends. He still wasn’t used to this lifestyle, where throwing a surprise party might result in someone dying. Where every gift had to go through a full cavity search, not just a look in the mouth.

He relaxed under Cap, his body losing the tension it had taken on when the man had walked through the door with blood on his face. Cap was furious, and upset, and hurting (not physically, but that meant next to nothing right now), but he had no intention of harming Tony. Tony knew that. And he’d give Cap anything he needed right now, to bring him back from the razor edge of violence he was on. 

The difference was so slight it could have easily been missed, but Tony felt Cap calm down slightly. Not enough to make him gentler, just enough that he was no longer so close to losing his restraint. 

He was rough and quick, prepping Tony, but the slighter man didn’t mind. All that strength, controlled by a man who never crossed that line from pleasurable pain to actual hurt, never miscalculated… That was hotter than anything to Tony, so much of his life revolving around precision and correct applications of skills. He had scars from incorrect judgement, and knowing Cap would never add to them was thrilling.

The sex itself, though, that was an anomaly. It was as if all of Cap’s anger flowed out in the first thrust, leaving him clinging to Tony gently and mouthing delicately at the marks he’d already left all over Tony’s shoulders and neck. Tony encouraged him with sweet nothings and gentle prods, rocking his hips back into the larger man when things weren’t picking up quickly enough. He lost himself then to the pleasure he’d missed over the past few days, not even noticing when Cap bruised his hips with his grip.

He came back to himself slowly after they’d both come, Cap draped along his side and running a hand up and down his spine. He turned to face his leader and kissed him sweetly, trying to get across his apology. “I’m sorry.” He said, kissing again at the splattered blood still on Cap’s face. “I didn’t mean anything by it, I just wanted to surprise you. I wasn’t thinking, and I’m sorry. I’ll do better, I promise.”

Cap was silent, but by the way he gathered Tony into his arms and held him tight, Tony figured he was at least on his way to being forgiven. The quiet held for a few moments before Cap stirred slightly, obviously trying to think of how to say what he wanted to get across.

“It was… I organized a meeting with Lehnsharr, leader of the Brotherhood, to discuss Hydra. And Stane. They’re allies, of a sort, so it’s always good policy to let them know when I’m planning to seriously rock the boat. They extend the same courtesy, and we stay off each others’ grounds. It works, and there’s only so much territory one group can cover and still be effective.

“Romanov and Hill found out just after we all got there, but before we said anything important, that the place was bugged and under surveillance. It was a set up, meaning there was a high-ranked mole in either my group, or his.”

He drummed his fingers on Tony’s back, the tension back in them. Even afterglow couldn’t combat Cap’s anger over a betrayal. Almost afraid to ask, Tony piped up. “Who was it?”

Cap’s lips thinned, and he gripped Tony just a little too hard again, though not bruising any more. “Xavier, Lehnsharr’s lover and second. He instinctively protected one of the younger cops, betraying his loyalties. We got off mostly intact thanks to just a little more warning, but the Brotherhood….” He was silent for a moment. “I don’t think they’re going to lose anyone, but Summers won’t be in the field for a while. He took a bullet for Lehnsharr.” Cap was quiet for a moment more. “It was fired by Xavier, after he’d already thrown himself in front of Officer McTaggert. 

Tony sucked in his breath, but was prevented from saying anything by Cap grabbing his arms and giving him a quick shake. “When you first started acting secretive, the only thing that saved you from being shot dead right in the living room was that I didn’t have my gun on me. Then Banner offered to investigate, and Romanov stood up for you getting another shot. But if you put me in a position where it’s you or all of them, I won’t think twice.”

Tony cupped one of Cap’s hands with one of his and hoped his face conveyed his earnestness. “I know you wouldn’t. Same as I know that as long as it’s nothing I brought on myself, you’d come for me anywhere, same as you’d do for any of the others. There are extenuating situations, but we all know we’re as safe here as we ever could be, and arguably safer than being civilian even. As long as we’re working for the good of everyone on the team, that is.”

Cap looked at him for a long moment before nodding and flopping onto his back on the bed. “I’ve got to go see how the others are doing. They’re injured, and I should be there.” He sighed before dragging himself out of the bed, and Tony smugly congratulated himself on wringing the other man out that much. “You can stay here for now.” Cap offered as Tony pushed himself up, but he shook his head.

“I couldn’t, not if I don’t know that they’re all okay. Gimmie a minute to grab a shirt, and I’ll come up with you.” Cap just tossed him one of his instead.

“Just throw that on. C’mon, let’s go see how our people are doing.”  
*  
“Cap?” He’d sent Tony to bed hours ago, while he watched Banner perform the surgery to pull a bullet out of Romanov. The procedure was done long ago too, but the redhead had yet to wake, and Steve knew there were very few people she’d feel safe waking up around. Yet here the man was, looking hesitant and carrying a mug and plate.

He tried to muster up a smile, but he wasn’t sure what it came out looking like. “Yes, Tony? What is it?” The man was strangely hesitant, and Steve wondered if it was due to the bruises he could see decorating the slimmer wrists and biceps. 

Tony smiled back, however, and brought him the plate. “You’ve been up for over twenty four hours now. I thought you could use some food.” He looked blankly at the plate, noticing it was bacon, eggs, and toast. Tony folded himself up and sat on the ground at his feet, leaning against Steve’s leg and sipping from his coffee. “Also, I thought you should know that I’ve been working on a new prototype for Clint’s archery glove that should help prevent sprained wrists. I’m not quite done adjusting the shape of the plates to give maximum protection while not messing with range of motion, but I’m getting closer. Also, when I got stuck on that I designed a new comm system that should work better than cell phones for ops, so everyone can stay in contact with everyone easier.”

Steve ran a hand through Tony’s dark hair, then turned to his breakfast. “Tell me about them?” He asked.

“Sure.” Tony replied easily, smiling up at him. “I’d love to.”


End file.
